


Six Separate Ways

by Megamarvelousnerd, Payphone13



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: 80's Music, Anxiety, Bathing/Washing, Character Study, Dirty Jokes, Eddie Kaspbrak Has OCD, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Hypochondria, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Outdated Jokes, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Sickfic, Some Humor, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:47:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28116420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megamarvelousnerd/pseuds/Megamarvelousnerd, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Payphone13/pseuds/Payphone13
Summary: Eddie actually enjoyed being pampered by all of his loves. Not as much as he enjoys taking care of them, but it was nice to get that attention back.
Relationships: Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon/Ben Hanscom/Eddie Kaspbrak/Beverly Marsh/Richie Tozier/Stanley Uris
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15
Collections: Poly Losers Club Fic Exchange Vol.3





	Six Separate Ways

**Author's Note:**

> This was really fun and thank you Payton for helping me out! Love you Queen!

Eddie was the one who normally took care of all the losers while they were sick. This resulted in him getting extremely burnt out, which resulted in him getting sick himself. So now the responsibility is on the others which has most of them running around the house like a chicken with their head cut off. For the first few days it wasn't that bad because Eddie kept on going as normal; he didn't feel all that bad, but then the stomach cramps and nausea hit that went on for days. That was until Bev had rationalized with Eddie to get to a doctor. It turns out, all the pain in his stomach is coming from a little case of stomach flu.  
~  
Thankfully Mike, the most rational one out of the seven, was able to get medicine after carefully asking which kind was needed. He knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it if he got the wrong kind. "You really don't need to worry, Eddie! We've got this under control," He rubbed the boys back as he puked "It'll be just fine. The stomach flu can't be fun at all for you so we can handle a little discomfort at the stake of getting you better.” 

Mike waits for Eddie to stop vomiting, making little faces at the noises coming out of his boyfriend, before handing over a glass cup full of water. “Need a sip?” He asks with a raise of a brow and a small frown. 

Eddie nods weakly, taking the cup with a small ‘thank you’ before taking a swig to swish around his mouth. He hands back the cup as he spits the rest of the water out into the toilet, leaning back into Mike's chest as reaches out to pull down the handle. He watches his own throw up swirl down the toilet bowl and he makes a groan as another round of nausea hits him. 

“I don’t think I can hold that medicine down right now, Mikey. Can we try later?” He asks as he looks up at him with his doe eyes. Mike gives him a sad smile as he runs a soothing hand up and down Eddie’s back. 

“Of course!” He exclaims softly as he goes to stand up, pulling Eddie’s weight along with him. “Do you want me to read to you while you rest?” 

A nod and a smile from the other boy is all he needs as Mike leads his boyfriend back to the bedroom with a book in hand. The two layed in bed for half the day; Mike reading one of Eddie’s favorites, “The Hobbit”. 

Eddie smiled to himself as he listened to Mike’s soothing voice shape into different characters. The two were having a relaxing time until Richie appeared to do his Gollum impression. . 

“What are the nasty little hobbitses letting into its hobbit hole, precious? Is that the dwarf king I smell, precious? Mmgh, tasty tasty sexual tension…” Richie grounds out. Jumping onto the bed and crawling up to the two while letting out Gollum like grunts. 

“Fuck off Richie, you’re ruining the mood!” Eddie squeals as he kicks the other off the bed; Richie falling off with a grunt. 

“They were in love god dammit!” Richie exclaims as he sulks out of the room.  
~  
Ben was pretty good at finding out which foods wouldn't upset Eddie's stomach too much and he made sure he was always hydrated; even if it meant waking Eddie up from little naps. 

"Come on now, big guy. I need you to take a drink for me.." He cooed softly. " I understand that you probably just want to go back to sleep with your heating pad on and I get that, but we also don't want you to go to the hospital because of dehydration.” 

Eddie lets out a small groan, his forehead is rested against the cool countertop as his fingers make little patterns along the tile. There was a piece of dry white bread layed out in front of him, a small bite mark taken out from one of the edges. 

He shakes his head as he looks up at Ben with a scrunch in his nose. “I’d rather not. Sorry Hanscom, but none of you ever clean the cups right.” He says, the side of his mouth lifting up in a little half smile. “There’s always something crusted on the inside and it grosses me out.” He shrugs. 

Ben rolled his eyes and hummed “Don’t blame me, blame the dishwasher! It isn’t doing its job!” He chuckled “I think you just like to complain sometimes, Eds but maybe that’s just my thoughts on it” He teased slightly and winked at Eddie. 

Eddie gives him a non threatening glare for a few seconds before letting up and smiling, “Just wash the damn cup, Hanscom and I’ll think about it.” He teases as he takes another bite out of his bread.  
~  
Richie on the other hand was a complete fucking mess. He could barely take care of himself and now he had to take care of the one person who normally had everything under control. He remembered the time his mom told him that laughter was the best medicine and you could never have enough laughter, so he decided to go with that route...

Eddie had been curled up in bed most of the day watching tv and Richie planned on cheering him up, but any time he tried conversing with the other or even talking in general, Eddie would just grab the remote and turn the volume up even higher. Richie pouts for a few seconds before giving Eddies back a shit eating smirk. He then climbs on top of the other boy, still trying to not lay his weight on him in case he gets nauseous.

"Oh my my! Is my Eddie Spaghetti feeling a bit ill? Is there any way wittle old me can be of any help?" He asks in his best southern belle accent, running his finger tips up and down the others exposed arm and batting his eyelashes in flirtation. “Ain’t I a cutie?” He giggled and kicked his legs like a teenage girl talking on the phone.

Eddie uses his free arm to grab a hold of one of the pillows and hurls it at Richie’s face. He lets out a rough cackle as the pillow hits his boyfriend with a ‘oof’.

He then has to bring his face back down to his pillow and his nose scrunches up in a wince; his head starting to pound from over exerting himself. 

He lets out a sigh, "I mean if you really want to help you could be quiet for once. I really just want to watch some Forensic Files with you, but if you're going to be obnoxious I’m just going to kick you out of the bed." (he was lying, but he wasn't going to admit that to Richie). Even though the others were trying their hardest to get him feeling better, sometimes just watching a stupid crime documentary with someone, who wasn’t being a loud mouth may he add, was pretty nice. . 

Richie lets out a long sigh as he pushes himself out of bed “I see when I’m not wanted. I'll just go fuck myself, Eds" He teased slightly "Do you want anything from the kitchen?” He asks from the foot of the bed; reaching his hand out to run his hand through Eddie’s bed head. 

Eddie shakes his head before turning to press a kiss against the others wrist, “I'm fine for right now, but thank you anyway.” He mutters.

“Just call if you need anything, Eds…” Richie sighs before turning off the bedside table light. He turns around to leave the room, but is stopped by a hand dragging him back down on the bed. 

“Come here dick breath...” Eddie grunts as he wraps an arm around Richie’s waist and rests his head in the others lap with a small smile tugging at his lips. 

~

Stan was so good at stuff like this that Eddie was kind of convinced that the other boy missed his calling in the nursing field, but he knew better then that. Whenever Stanley was around the other losers, the wall he built up, his grumpy and irritable wall, always seemed to fall within the first few words he had to say. 

"I know I probably won't be much help, but if you need some medicine or if you need a bath I can help you with it." he ruffled Eddie's hair. "I can't help, but think that you probably want a shower or a bath. We all know that you and germs aren't the closest of friends." 

Eddie actually enjoyed being pampered by all of his loves. Not as much as he enjoys taking care of them, but it was nice to get that attention back. The fact that Stan knows his fear of germs, even though it’s not as bad as it was when he was a child, still had a present place in his mind.

Stan decided to give Eddie a nice relaxing bubble bath to hopefully ease some discomfort that Eddie was feeling, plus getting him feeling clean. Eddie took a shower everyday so this threw him off his schedule big time which Stan could imagine that it made Eddie uncomfortable. “Is it alright if i wash you so you don’t overwhelm yourself?” He asked softly before he got a quick nod. “Sounds good to me” Stan softly massaged shampoo in Eddie’s hair. “I’ll brush it as well after you get out. It’s a little bit tangled and it’s going to get all course and matted. It’ll look like a horse tail which I have a feeling that’s not your style” he smirked and rolled his eyes. 

Eddie just relaxed into Stan’s touch " That feels so nice, really appreciate you helping me clean because I probably would have went a little stir crazy because you know how I am.. it's just I can't deal with all that dirt on me it makes me feel so uncomfortable and I hate it.." he rambled slightly. 

Stan wasn't rude about it, he listened and let Eddie get everything out that was bothering him. " I hope you know that me and the others will always be here to listen to you and help you if you ever need it.”  
~  
Bill's way of helping was more with helping around the house than anything. He knew Eddie would be quite upset if everything went to shit because he wasn't able to take care of it. Some nights he liked to read his drafts to Eddie while he relaxed on the couch, the other boy's feet always plopped in his lap. Whether or not he meant to be that way, Eddie was probably the most brutally honest besides Stan and Bill really appreciated that.

Eddie really liked listening to what Bill's ideas were and sometimes would notice pieces of the people closest to him within the characters that the other would write. His critiques varied from " I think maybe you could rewrite some of it" to "That was horrible please don't keep that in". He always assured Bill that everything else was good in the book after his remarks. He knew that Bill’s mind could be his worst enemy . 

Eddie had leaned up into Bill's space so he could read whatever he was typing over his shoulder. “What part are you on? Have you finished the chase scene yet?” He asks, resting his temple against the other's shoulder. 

Bill shakes his head, his eyebrows scrunched together as he thinks over the next sentence he wants to type out, “Uhhh, I’m almost done with it, actually. Do you want me to read it to you after i'm done or are you just going to read it over my shoulder the whole time?” He smiles, moving the laptop a little bit so Eddie can see better. 

Eddie plants a kiss to the others cheek before laying back down on the couch cushion, “Hurry up, please. I don’t think I’ll be long in this world in a few minutes.” He mumbles into his blanket, his eye slowly drifting shut.” 

~  
Bev was magic in some way because she could keep Eddie from freaking out over things that he couldn't control, which not a lot of people could do. He really couldn't tell if it was his mommy issues acting up or that Bev was really just that good. Whenever he'd get frustrated she was always there to run her fingers through his hair or just listen to him rant.

They could be cuddled up in the living room all day if it was up to Eddie, Bev and him were watching the episodes of the past bachelor season that they had recorded. Of course they knew it was trash television but it was enjoyable .

Bev hummed and sighed “Why do they pick the blandest like most boring guys and send the funny ones home? Can’t Relate,” She laughed and yawned "They always keep the sketchiest ones too like the ones that are like really really creepy about it..." she complains, making dirty faces at the asshole who was talking shit about the other contestants during a private interview. 

Eddie hummed and let out a snort, "I don’t know what they’re expecting! Do they really believe that they’ll find their true love on a tv show?” He asks with a shake of his head.

They continue watching their show, making witty remarks about the guys until Richie walks into the room with a groan, “This trash again? I can’t believe you guys still watch this! Even after Chris Harrison hate crimed me on Twitter.” He grumbles , waving his hand around at the tv in anger. 

Beverly and Eddie both shake their heads at Richie’s alleged Twitter fights. The two then make eye contact, staring at each other for a few seconds before instantly burst out laughing. 

Richie scoffs at them, holding his arms out in defense “He called me a fruit, guys!” He rolled his eyes and muttered “I can’t believe i’m called a fruit on twitter dot com”  
~  
Eddie was sick for around a week or so and he really started to get antsy; he never really let himself relax this long. He always had to be doing something or else he would be uncomfortable. He doesn't do well with just laying around wasting his day away sleeping. 

He had gotten up several times just to try and clean up the floors or wash the dirty dishes in the sink, which really wasn’t a good idea in the first place . He couldn't stand just laying on the couch or sleeping in bed just because he was sick. This made him feel useless and that he was just taking advantage of the others' kindness. The losers tried taking him back to his room, but he refused by flicking dirty dish water at their faces.

In the end, he was regretting his decisions when he started puking on his feet because he touched a wet, soggy piece of food that Richie apparently forgot that he left in the sink. He looked around at all the mess he made. Another mess that the others had to pick up after him. He crouched there staring at the floor until Stan and Mike came in with some cleaning supplies. 

Mike had carefully pulled him to his feet before handing him over to Stan. Stan immediately brought him to the bathroom, gripping the other boy from under his armpits in a way of support. He could tell Eddie was panicking by the look on his face so he quickly grabs for a clean towel off the rack to wipe off the vomit from his face. 

“Hey, how is everything in here?” Beverly asks from her place in the doorway. She watches Stan rest Eddie against the bathtub before standing up to run the towel under the steaming faucet. She was slightly worried at this point because she’s not seen Eddie like this since they were kids. A lot of times he liked to appear well put together; as if he had everything in control. 

Eddie groaned and sighed "This is just bullshit!" He was just so frustrated with how everything was going. He even started to tear up slightly because he was just so overwhelmed. “You guys shouldn’t have to drop everything just because I can’t take care of myself! I know some of you took off work just because I'm a mess!” Eddie was as Bruce Springsteen would say “Nothing but Tired”. 

Mike came in with a water bottle and some crackers, Bill and Richie trailing in after him. “I think you should try to keep some food down before we give you medicine. We're not going to give you anything too heavy or something that you can't handle. We just need you to eat a little bit of food so you have some in your system before you take medicine" We need to know you can keep it down and that’s all! We won’t force you to eat anything heavy, I promise?” 

Ben sighed and hummed “At least we have some antibiotics! that should help you get feeling better...” Ben had this way of making people feel like everything would be fine just by how he spoke and reacted with such patience. It would even make the most anxious man feel calm. “It’s gonna be just fine Eddie. We love you so much. It’s nice to see you get some time to relax because you deserve it. Sick or Not.” 

Eddie felt like he was going to cry; not in a bad way, but he was so overwhelmed about how loved and appreciated he was feeling even though sometimes he had doubts. He knew that every single one of his losers loved him and he loved them just the same. " I really appreciate you guys taking care of me…” he gets out, his voice wavering a bit, “ I don't know, I guess I always feel scared to ask for a break when I need it. It's not even your fault it's just my stupid brain and I can't seem to think.” He gets out, rubbing one of his hands against his watery eyes. 

“Whenever I'm stressed out I always feel like I'm burdening you guys or that you have other things going on so it wouldn't matter." He shrugs, wrapping his arms around himself in a way of comfort. “I just feel as if you guys are going to hate me after or something stupid like that.. I understand that it makes no sense but my anxiety can’t tell the difference sometimes”

Richie was the first one to speak which really wasn't that surprising " I totally get it. Sometimes I feel bad about asking for help because I feel like I should be dependable but, I mean, everyone needs help once in a while. Hell, even the strongest people in the world need help so I mean, I don't think you're weak at all //maybe a little short// but not weak" 

Bill hummed and sighed softly as he rubbed Eddie's back " Richie has a really good point, I mean I really felt like you did when I was younger, Eddie I wasn't really able to let myself feel weak. I mean you guys would have supported me anyways but you know sometimes you don't think that you'll have the support.. I would much rather have you come to us then end up where you are right now. It hurts our heart to think that you would rather be puking and stressed out then show us a little bit of vulnerability." 

Stan started to speak soon after not wanting to interrupt Bill. " I totally get it. It’s hard sometimes, especially when you want to seem like everything is all fine even if it's not; that's totally okay. It's not like we just love you for well-put together Eddie Kaspbrak; we love you for every single version of Eddie Kaspbrak there is.. you never make us feel shameful for asking you for help so why would we do that to you?' He softly kissed Eddie's forehead. 

Bev took hold of Eddie's hand and brushed her thumb over his knuckles. "Seriously if you ever feel bad about asking us for something don't, because we're not upset that you need help, but I also can understand as someone who went through a similar situation as you did with Myra that it is hard to ask because you feel like they're going to bring it up constantly as if you did something wrong. Tom did exactly that and I felt so dumb”

Eddie just let himself kind of breakdown because Bev was exactly right. The amount of love he got after he left Myra was unbelievable. His mother and Myra's love were very similar in the fact that they loved a certain version of Eddie. One that they could manipulate. Everyone here knew the real Eddie and they would never try to do something like that to him. He could laugh along when a stupid joke was thrown at him because it was never with malicious intent. 

"All of you are so important to me and I couldn't be where I am today without every single one of you. I don't know how to thank you guys, I really don't, but I'm thankful that you guys give me all of the love and support I could ever have" he sniffled as Mike gave him a big hug. “Thank you Mikey.. You’re really warm” he mutters in the side of his neck. The other losers laugh wetly, also getting a little choked up from the conversation. 

Mike was always so calm when one of his partners needed a shoulder to cry on and maybe a big strong chest to lay on. “You know everything's gonna be just fine. We’ll make sure of it, Little Dear” He hummed into Eddie’s hair as he held him. “How about we all just relax and watch a movie?”

Ben hummed and smirked “Well sounds real good to me, but it’s Bev’s turn to pick the movie” He teased and nudged her slightly “We might have to watch Mamma Mia for the sixth time but it is the holiday season so maybe it’s the muppet christmas carol.. Who knows!” He chuckled.

Bill laughed and gasped “Hey! Muppets are talented so I don’t know why you’re hating on my main man Kermit the Frog” He almost burst out laughing at Eddie’s reaction “I’m joking! Well, kinda.. I do think that movie is super cute. I mean Richie dresses like a muppet so it all works out huh?” He ruffled Richie’s hair. “It’s cute though in a weird way”

Richie made a face and started to laugh “Do I look like a muppet?” He rolled his eyes and giggled as he did his best Wendy Williams Impression. “If i’m anyone besides gonzo, I’ll be extremely disappointed in you, Billiam. That Alien Bird Thing is my personal hero.”  
~  
They went on like that , each one throwing jokes and playfully insulting each other until they got to the living room to start watching the movie. There was popcorn and a fort of blankets. And honestly there's no way Eddie would have thought of this when he was just a young and scared little boy, but there's no place he'd rather be. He wondered what it would be like if someone had told him about where he is now. He has a Feeling, but he would just break into a big smile and know that losers stick together no matter what the circumstance. He felt so safe as he was one big cuddle pile with his favorite people in this whole universe. Sometimes the good that the universe gives you after you deal with the pain from the bad situations can be the thing that surprisingly heals you.


End file.
